How to Make Cold Brew

Fun fact: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® was one of the first coffee chains to brew and serve cold brew in our stores every day. Learn all you need to know about this delectable drink that always hits the spot, particularly during those balmy, sunny afternoons.

Why Choose Cold Brew?

If you prefer to drink cold coffee beverages, there are a lot of benefits to choosing cold brew. When you brew coffee at cold temperatures, the coffee maintains its freshness longer than stale than hot-brewed coffee. This means you can prep one batch over the weekend and enjoy your cold brew coffee or lattes on demand the rest of the week. Who wouldn’t want to shave a few minutes off of their morning routine?

Is It Hard To Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home?

No. Perfecting the grind level is the hardest part. Since our Cold Brew Coarse Coffee blend is pre-ground, you can skip straight to the brewing stage with no mess or wasted beans.

What Is the Best Cold Brew Coffee to Water Ratio?

Depending on your personal preferences the ratio should be between 1:4 (for coffee dynamos) and 1:5 (for a standard cold brew). When brewing at home you can start with 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per every 6 ounces of water. Or 3/4 cup of ground coffee and 36 ounces (4.5 cups) of filtered water but feel free to adjust future brews after you’ve taste-tested your first batch.

How Can I Make Cold Brew at Home Using a French Press? 

1. Pour the grounds into the French press
2. Fill the remainder with fresh filtered water. 
3. Stir grinds and water until grinds are fully saturated. 
4. Set timer for 20 hours.
5. After the long wait push that plunger down a few inches, check to ensure your screen and filter are in place, and then pour your cold brew into a cup or container and store in your fridge.

How Can I Make Cold Brew at Home Using a Toddy Cold Brew System?

1. Insert plug into brewing container from the outside.
2. Insert filter into brewing container (optional the this time to place brewing container on top of decanter, in case any liquid drops out for easy clean up)
3. Add cool or room temperature water to brewing container
4. Add coarsely ground coffee and gently stir. 
5. Cover and steep for 12-24 hours (we recommend 20 hours for our Cold Brew Blend)
6.  Place glass decanter under brewing container and remove plug from container (if you didn't add it at step 2)
7. Cover and store in fridge up to 10 days
8. Optional: if you want to dilute the batch, you can add water to the glass container or add as you make each cup. Up to you. 

To make a cold brew latte, add your choice of milk and serve over ice. You can also heat up cold brew if you're wanting a low acidic coffee for cooler days.

How Long Can You Keep Cold Brew? 

Cold Brew should taste excellent for a week, but around the 10-day mark you’ll start to notice the taste veer into uncomfortable, woody territory. After ten days you can dilute your cold brew with two parts water and feed it to your plants. But when you make your own cold brew using the methods of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® you’ll likely drink every drop well before 10 days go by.

What is Your Cold Brew Blend?

As always we use some of the finest Arabica coffee beans in the world to craft this blend. Our Cold Brew Coarse Ground Coffee is a blend of light roast coffee beans from Ethiopia and our Blue Moon dark roast beans. When combined these two great coffees yield a tantalizing medium roast coffee. We then add a touch of chicory root to produce a slightly sweet toffee aroma with fruit and walnut notes and a spicy smooth finish.

Is Cold Brew Strong?

Yes! Cold brew is a concentrated, powerful beverage. Often when serving at home you can cut it 1:1 with cold water if it’s too strong. You can skip the at-home brewing process and stop by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf  for your next cup of Cold Brew. With a delicious Cold Brew in hand, you can fight that summer heat and fuel up for a day of dream chasing.

How Does The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® Make Their Cold Brew Coffee?

In the glory days of the 1970s The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® used and sold retail merchandise units of a Cold Brew Coffee System patented by a Cornell University grad. At the time we served the drink as “iced coffee,” but now we proudly use the term “cold brew” because we steep our cold brew coffee cold for 20 hours. Our cold brew coffee is so good it inspired our signature Ice Blended® drinks.